Coming of Age
by tiberius1
Summary: What happens when a gunship comes of age? Talyn finds himself surrounded by female Leviathans and feels manly urges for the first time. How does this affect Crais?


**Apologies**: Why apologies? Because there are some things that shouldn't be written about and this is probably one of them. Well, this fic came about because notasebacean and I were chatting about "By Any Means Possible" - which is posted here, but has an M rating - and she started wondering if Crais's actions would have any influence on Talyn. Thus, this fic was spawned. Reading that one will help with the background setting of this fic, but I believe this one will stand on it's own.

"**By Any Means Possible" Summary:** When Grayza visits the command carrier, she finds that Bialar Crais is there, and she sends an emissary to recruit him back to the Peacekeepers, pledging that he will be absolved of any and all past crimes. Crais accepts, though he is careful not to let any of the Moya crew know what he is doing.

After he and Talyn recover from starburst, he accepts command of a research project to breed a fleet of gunships that the Peacekeepers can use against the Scarrans. While he is working on his research and regaining his standing within the Peacekeepers, Grayza is working to delay the Scarrans long enough to produce those gunships.

Crais is not content merely to be Grayza's minion. He has hatched his own plan to claim glory for himself. As part of his plan, he allows her to believe that she is using him and that she is in control of their relationship. In reality, Talyn provides him with partial immunity from the heppel oil so that he can retain his presence of mind while he recreates with her.

**Rating: ** PG-13 for non-explicit sexual situations and adult themes and Leviathan sex.

**Disclaimer: **No, they still aren't mine. I'm still not making any money from it and I think that Henson would definitely disavow me for writing this pairing.

Coming of Age

Talyn had watched as the Leviathans arrived at their hidden base. Kaya had been the first, and he had done as Crais had asked and had reassured both her and her Pilot that they were doing the proper thing.

Now, there were close to a dozen. All were soon to be impregnated so that they might give birth to gunships like himself. There was a buzz of excitement about the other Leviathans. Like his mother, they were all brownish-gold in color and they found his vibrant red coloration quite fascinating.

At times he would fly close to them in order to let them get a good look at him, and that always seemed to cause a stir of excitement amongst them. While none of the two-legs realized it, Leviathans communicated with each other at a frequency their mechanical equipment could not detect. The two-legs also did not realize that Leviathans were very social and by their nature, liked, in fact almost _needed, _to be with their own kind. And Talyn's presence seemed to be causing considerably more excitement than that of any single individual in the midst of a large gathering of Leviathans normally would.

He was not used to experiencing something like this, but it made him feel good, empowered even. They actually _liked _him.

No. It was more than like. They were attracted to him. At least that was how it seemed to him. He'd had the opportunity to observe Aeryn and the human, and Crais and Grayza. He thought this was a similar sensation.

The only question was: what was he to do about this new feeling?

Almost all of the Leviathans were quite a bit older than he was, much closer to his mother's age. But two of them were only a few cycles older than he was. He decided to concentrate on them. Oolan was the larger, and presumably older, of the two. Teshy was slightly smaller and much lighter in color. Talyn found that he preferred Teshy's coloration.

Having learned from Aeryn and the human, he flirted with the two young females. He would carefully brush against them. Never having touched another of his kindbefore (except his own mother when he was very young), he was surprised at the feelings it elicited. They were similar to the ones Crais felt when he was together with Grayza, and Talyn found that he liked them. He could now understand why his captain continued his relationship with Grayza, despite the fact that he otherwise felt nothing for her.

After a couple of days, he decided that Teshy was the more responsive of the two toward him. He had no idea what he should do next. Knowing that brushing against her felt good, he did so over and over, gently herding her away from the others, toward the far side of the planet where they could be alone together.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Lt. Dekan entered Crais's office, his voice full of trepidation. "Captain, we have a problem."

"What is it?" asked Crais as he tried to maintain his focus. He knew he should probably turn the transponder off, but he wanted to keep track of what Talyn was doing. At the very least, he should have focused more energy on solving the transponder feedback problems, but with Talyn's stabilized psyche, it had been a very low priority. It would now become a very high priority. He could not afford to be distracted like this.

"Sir, Talyn and…one of the Leviathans have moved away from the others," Dekan said nervously.

Crais looked at the man quizzically, waiting to see how he delivered the news. Normally, his second in command was quite articulate. "And the problem is?"

"Sir, they are-are…_mating_," Dekan finally replied.

"Are you sure?" He knew that was what Talyn was attempting to do, but Dekan's report would come through the Leviathan experts, who he hoped would be able to recognize that behavior. Crais was not even sure if Talyn _could _mate with a Leviathan. And if he could, would it result in offspring?

"Well, no, sir. But that is the only thing we can surmise. None of us has actually seen Leviathans mate before. What should we do?" He looked as though he were not awaiting orders as much as punishment.

Crais closed his eyes as Talyn once again brushed against the female. After taking several deep breaths to regain control, he replied, "You are correct." His mind was racing. This was a rather unexpected complication. This was a part of the experiment he had never counted on. He tried to contact Talyn, but he was being ignored. It required a great deal of effort not to be overwhelmed by Talyn's amorous intentions.

"Captain?" Dekan asked tentatively.

"Give me a few moments." If Talyn were fertile, what would that mean? Would he sire a gunship or something less?

The comms panel on this desk chimed, distracting him from his analysis. "What is it?" he asked tersely.

"Sir, we have Commandant Grayza's transport on sensors, and she will be here within a quarter arn."

"Very well," he replied and snapped off the circuit. _Wonderful_, he thought. While he enjoyed his time with her, now was definitely not the proper time. The effort of trying to maintain his composure while Talyn recreated had driven the fact that she was scheduled for an inspection visit completely from his mind. He needed Talyn's assistance to maintain his free will when he was around her and he was not likely to get it now. In fact, he was willing to wager that Talyn's current state of mind would make him more susceptible to the heppel oil, rather than less.

"Sir?" Dekan asked.

"Let them be. Their behavior should not affect the program." He would continue his analysis once Grayza was gone. Though, given her usual behavior, he was uncertain how soon that would be. And he thought that Talyn's behavior might also be an influence. He would leave the transponder on in case Talyn satisfied his urges before Grayza did hers.

&&&&&&&&&&

Talyn chased Teshy behind the planet. Shielded from the view of the others, he felt emboldened. He continued to caress her, hoping she would give him some signal about what he should be doing next. Leviathans did not speak with words as the two-legs did; instead they communicated whole ideas and emotions to each other. She was telling him that she was happy and excited to be with him, and he told her the same.

A part of him wanted to let her know that he was nervous, just as she was, but Crais had instilled in him the importance of controlling fear and nervousness, and never letting anyone know that was how you felt. Gunships were to be strong at all times.

As he continued his dance, he felt Crais try to contact him, but he did not feel like paying attention to his captain. He wanted Teshy.

She rolled over and presented her underside to him. This stirred in him a feeling he had never experienced directly. It was very similar to what he had felt in Crais when he was with a female. Taking her invitation, he grazed lightly against her underside, still not entirely sure what he had to do next.

Brushing against her time and again, he could feel an appendage protruding. Pressure was building inside him, pressure that could only be released through his new appendage. Now, he only had to determine where to put his appendage.

This time, as he brushed against her, he moved slowly, coming nearly to a stop. Then he found it. He stopped as he found the place where his appendage went. The dance became tricky as the two of them maneuvered, working to finalize their coupling.

Finally, Talyn felt a nearly imperceptible click. This small sensation triggered the release of the pressure that had been building. Along with the release came a euphoric sensation. He remained attached to her for several microts, not wanting to move. When he felt her shudder, he released her, but he did not allow her to leave. He suddenly felt very protective towards her, and he wanted to keep her near him. Deep within him, he could feel the reservoir filling again. Once it was full, he would have her again.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Crais found that he couldn't control himself. The walk back to his office had been interminable. At least when Grayza had first arrived, Talyn had been in a rest period, but that had changed as they walked down the corridor. It had taken all his self-control not to slam her against the wall and ravish her immediately when Talyn resumed his pursuit of Teshy.

As soon as the door to his office hissed shut, he gave into the overwhelming urges and pressed her against the wall, kissing her deeply. She had initially tried to protest, but quickly accepted his advances. She did not object when he shoved her onto the desk.

By now, he knew how her uniform fastened and could quickly remove the offending clothing. Their recreation was primal and frantic. Crais had already been forced to survive one cycle of Talyn's passions alone. He was not about to tolerate a second without relief.

When he finally collapsed atop her, they were both panting and covered in sweat.

"Why, Bialar? Did you miss me?" she purred.

"Like you would not believe." He was not sure if her arrival was a blessing or a curse. Finally, he felt strong enough to stand. He suddenly realized that he really had no more knowledge of Leviathan mating rituals than he did of the mechanics of the physical act itself. This was not something that had ever occurred to him. Aware that Talyn still was not letting Teshy get too far away, he began to wonder how many times the two would proceed to copulate. For a brief moment, he wondered if Talyn's behavior was reflective of what he had been doing with Grayza.

"I had hoped to go over business first, but I will allow you this indulgence," Grayza said as she lounged on his desk. Running her fingers slowly between her breasts, she said, "Perhaps you can brief me on the project while you recover?"

He could feel himself involuntarily reacting to her movement. Even though he had been using Talyn to resist the effects of the heppel oil, there were still aspects of the secretion that he found quite pleasing. "Four of the Leviathans have been impregnated. It takes a solar day per Leviathan." He considered whether or not he should tell her about Talyn. Since he had no idea what the result of the amorous gunship's advances would be, he elected to say nothing of that.

"Excellent. And there have been no setbacks?"

"None whatsoever." Talyn's energy was recharging and Crais could feel his desire, if not his strength, returning. "Perhaps you would like to retire to my bedchamber?" he asked hopefully as he moved closer to her, nuzzling against her cleavage, eager to partake of the heppel oil.

Gently, she pushed him away. "You're quite randy today."

"It has been nearly forty solar days since I last reported to you."

"And there are no women here? I seem to recall having seen several on your staff roster."

"None of them compare to you." He knew this was exactly the sort of ego stroking that she required to believe that she still held the upper hand in their relationship.

She considered him for several long microts. "I am not expected back on my ship for several arns. As you continue to please me, I will allow you to indulge yourself."

That was all the invitation he required; he swept her into his arms and carried her through the door to his bedchamber.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

By the time Grayza departed, Crais was utterly exhausted. Thankfully, so was Talyn. The youngster seemed to have finally sated himself.

She ran her finger down his nose, chin and chest. "Report to me when all the Leviathans have been impregnated."

"Of course," he murmured. If it had not been for her heppel oil, he was sure that he would have passed out long ago. He barely registered her leaving him alone. Once he was recovered, he would have to speak with Talyn. He would also have to find a way to stop the feedback. Even with the transponder set to privacy mode, he still had found himself susceptible to Talyn's strong emotions.

When he finally woke, he had no idea how much time had passed. After staggering to the refresher and showering, he pulled on a fresh uniform and ordered food brought to his quarters. When he tried to contact Talyn, he found the gunship was in a sleep cycle. He decided to pay a personal visit once he had eaten.

After eating, he felt significantly better, though he was still quite sore. Slowly, he made his way to the hangar and took a transport pod to Talyn. The youngster was still groggy when he boarded. As per his custom, he went to Command before speaking. Although he did not need to speak aloud with Talyn, he preferred that method of communication even under normal circumstances, much more so now. "Talyn, about what happened earlier today…" He suddenly realized he had no idea how to discuss this topic. "Was your behavior influenced by my recent actions?"

In part. But I find I like the Leviathans and they like me. Did I do something wrong?

Crais chuckled softly. "Not at all. You did only what is natural. But we must discuss what you did. There may be…difficulties."

What sort of difficulties? asked Talyn nervously.

Crais began pacing. "As you know, you were specifically engineered. If your…mating was successful, I do not know what repercussions that may have for your offspring."

Offspring?

He could tell that Talyn had not thought of that. To assuage the gunship's fears, he said, "No matter what happens, you will not be punished for your actions. I know that the females must be very attractive to you." And Crais knew they had also been artificially put in heat, which had likely attracted Talyn even more to them, and vice versa. "I will ask that you remain away from those which have not been impregnated for the time being. It is imperative that I evaluate the likely repercussions of your actions." He was thankful that it would only be a few more days. He wasn't entirely sure that he could survive another round of feedback like the one he had experienced a short while ago. "We will also have to study the link between us. Certain…modifications will have to be made."

What if I don't want to?

"What?" He couldn't believe that Talyn was refusing to obey.

I enjoyed being with Teshy. I like the way it makes me feel.

"I understand, Talyn, but there is a time and a place to recreate. You have to show restraint."

You don't. You recreate with Grayza whenever you want.

Crais sighed, trying to remain calm. "You are exaggerating. And besides, there is a reason behind that recreation. You do not just see me recreating with the nearest female."

They want me, and you want them to breed gunships. Why stop me? I'm only doing what you want.

The last thing Crais wanted was to argue with Talyn. "We do not know for sure what the result of your recreation will be. There is a chance that you would produce offspring which are…different. You must not interfere with this project."

You can't forbid me.

"This is a very important project. One that must succeed. You know that the Peacekeepers do not tolerate failure." He was rapidly losing patience. "What you want to do may jeopardize the entire project, and thus our lives. You must control yourself." _For your sake as well as mine_, he added silently.

There was a long pause before Talyn replied, I will try.

It was as much as Crais could ask for, but he found that he was not entirely sure that he trusted the gunship. He could recall his youth when he had first discovered the wonders of recreation. Each time he learned something new, he would be eager to immediately share his newfound skills with another partner. For now, Crais would have techs analyze Teshy and any offspring she might be carrying. He would research the transponder feedback issue personally. He did not need his team knowing that he could be so easily incapacitated.

If the gunships could breed with Leviathans, how much gunship technology would the offspring retain? And would that also mean that gunships could breed naturally? These were questions he did not have answers for and it bothered him that they had not even occurred to him until now. He had always assumed that the gunships would be sterile, but the realization had now suddenly sunk in to him that such might not be the case. The Peacekeepers would have to tread carefully to maintain control of this new sentient fleet.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Crais had been working on the feedback dilemma in the sixteen arns since he had returned from Talyn. Rubbing his eyes, he knew he should get some rest, but once he knew the pregnancies were viable, he intended to ask Grayza for another pod of Leviathans. And when those new Leviathans arrived, he knew that Talyn would once again want to explore his sexuality. This time, Crais intended to be prepared.

Finally deciding that he could not longer concentrate on his work and that he would accomplish nothing more without some sleep, he crossed his office and entered his bedchamber. While he was undressing, he felt a tickle in the back of his mind that he now recognized as the stirring of Talyn's passions.

Talyn? What are you doing? He knew the answer to that question, but hoped his inquiry would cause the youngster to stop, realizing he had been caught. When there was no answer, he was more forceful. Talyn! Stop what you are doing this instant, he commanded.

No, Talyn replied defiantly.

Crais could feel the feedback increasing. Since sharing engrams with Talyn, he had been unable to remove the transponder for any significant length of time without suffering serious complications. Even now, after all the work to repair Talyn's psyche, they were still caught in a symbiotic relationship. And, as he had already discovered, privacy mode did not provide much protection from Talyn's urges.

Unfortunately, this time he did not have Grayza to satisfy his needs. He was not sure he could handle another round of recreation like that anyway, especially since he was still quite sore.

After Talyn's first encounter, Crais was left panting and unsatisfied on his bed. Self-gratification was not very gratifying in this instance. Last time, Talyn had mated six times. He would need to find companionship to survive this with his sanity intact. Rising from bed, he quickly donned his uniform and took a long draught of water. He knew that he didn't have very long before Talyn would be ready to perform again.

As he stalked down the corridor in search of a suitable partner, he thought about the feedback. It had seemed more intense this time. Though he did consider the fact that had been under the heppel oil's influence. It was possible that the oil had dulled his senses somewhat. But if that were the case, he could be in for a very rough night.

He could feel Talyn beginning his second encounter and Crais began to wonder where all his female crew members were. Finally, he saw Lieutenant Tan. While attractive, she was fair-haired and not normally his type, but now was not the time to be picky. She was female, and that was all that mattered.

Pressing her against the wall, he said, "Lieutenant, until you receive further orders, you are relieved from the remainder of your duties aboard this shift," before capturing her mouth in a hungry kiss.

She was definitely caught off guard by his behavior. "Er, yes, sir," she replied.

He had seen the way she looked at him and knew that his advances would not be entirely unwanted. Rather roughly, he pulled her along beside him back to his quarters. As soon as they were behind the privacy of his office door, he started undressing while guiding her to his bedchamber. She had also started undressing, but was not moving fast enough to suit his neural link-fueled libido, and he tore into her uniform.

The first time was rough and primal. It had taken him long enough to find her that Talyn was nearly at climax. He knew that she would find this encounter unsatisfying. Then again, he had no doubt that he would soon be ready to pleasure her again.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Crais was utterly exhausted. He could tell that Tan was as well. Her body language indicated that she was ready to leave, but until Talyn was spent, he could not let her go. She had thoroughly enjoyed their second and third times together. The fourth time, he could tell that she'd had enough. He had tried to make their fifth encounter stimulating for her, and he had managed to bring her to orgasm, but now she was as exhausted as he was. The only difference was that he had a gunship giving him added drive.

Both of them were too tired to move and he was trying to get a few moments of rest, perhaps even sleep, before the need overtook him again. He wondered how much longer Talyn could keep this up.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, he felt the familiar tickle. He did something completely uncharacteristic and pleaded with Talyn to stop. The gunship resolutely ignored him and went about preparing to mate with Oolan again.

As Crais felt his arousal growing, he began to wonder what would happen if he passed out from exhaustion. Especially since that was now a very real possibility. He ignored the urge for as long as he could before rolling over and nuzzling against Tan.

"Captain, please, I'm exhausted," she muttered.

"You would disobey me?" he asked tersely. He was not at all in the mood to argue.

"No, sir. It's just…" Her voice trailed off as he teased her.

He was pleased that she realized arguing would not be wise. As Talyn became more excited, Crais did his best to make this as enjoyable as possible for them both.

When he finished, he collapsed senseless atop her, and it was only her shoving him aside that caused him to roll beside her. As he lay on the bed, he could feel the darkness closing around him. He had never before imagined passing out from having too much sex.

&&&&&&&&&

Opening his eyes, Crais tried to remember where he was. The room was dimly lit. Raising his head, he realized he was in his bed and completely naked. "Talyn," he hissed as the disorientation of a deep sleep faded. Rolling over, he saw that he was also alone. Tan must have snuck out while he was asleep, not that he could blame her.

Activating the comms panel beside the bed, he said, "Lt. Dekan, load the transport pod with supplies. I am taking Talyn on a proficiency flight and will be gone for a few days." If Talyn was refusing to obey his orders to stay away from the females, they would leave the area.

"Yes, sir," Dekan replied.

After cleaning up and eating a quick meal, Crais packed a travel bag. He was incredibly stiff and sore and was not looking forward to the walk from his quarters to the hangar. He knew that by now Tan would have told others about their marathon recreation session.

Approaching Talyn, he could tell that the gunship was awake. When he landed, he immediately proceeded to Command and input the navigation coordinates. Once they were on their way, he would stow the food.

Where are we going? Talyn asked.

"Proficiency training." He could feel Talyn trying to push into his mind and learn more about this "proficiency training", but he pushed back. "You will not do that," he ordered.

I don't want to go, Talyn replied petulantly.

"Your desires are inconsequential. You are a gunship and you will obey my orders. I will not have you undermining good order and discipline." Engaging the overrides, he plotted a course away from the base and activated propulsion. He could tell that Talyn was sulking, but he did not care. Gunships were difficult to punish. Time and again, he had explained to Talyn the importance of following the chain of command. It should have been ingrained in his DNA, but Crais was finding that even after all the fixes, Talyn still displayed rebellious moments.

When will we be returning?

"We will be gone for several days." He planned on them being away until either all the Leviathans were impregnated or he solved the transponder feedback issue. He also intended on reiterating to Talyn the importance of obeying orders. They would begin their proficiency training in a nearby asteroid field. That would be one way to get Talyn's attention.

Bialar Crais was head of the Hybrid project and Captain of Talyn. As such, he was not a man to accept anything less than perfection and obedience. Talyn would do well to remember that.

The End


End file.
